


More Than Planned

by babybec



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-09
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-08-21 04:14:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16569437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babybec/pseuds/babybec
Summary: Everything is going well for Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She’s graduated high school, become best friends with Adrien Agreste, defeated Hawkmoth in her alternate identity, and got accepted to her dream school in New York to study fashion! But everything can’t stay this peaceful for long, can it?A new villian emerges, the master of a Miraculous that was never meant to exist. What does he want? Of course, the ladybug and black cat Miraculous.





	1. New Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy the story! You can follow my Miraculous fan account on tumblr at Miraculous-ladybec or keep up with me on Twitter @kindabecca!

Marinette Dupain-Cheng was sitting on the edge of her chaise examining the white tee shirt in her hand. It had been her favorite shirt as an early teen and it carried such strong memories of high school for her. She thought of meeting her best friend, Alya, learning how to be confident and strong from her. She remembered facing off with Chloé, her longtime enemy, now turned comrade on and off the Miraculous battle field. She thought of Myléne, Rose, Juleka, Alix, Kim, Nath and Marc, and how they all impacted her and made her school career so memorable. Lastly she thought of Adrien Agreste. The boy she’d been smitten with since the day she met him, but now knew him as another best friend, inside and out.  
Marinette smiled softly, folded the small tee shirt, and put it in a box of keepsakes to put in storage while she was in college. And that’s how the rest of her afternoon went, picking through her possessions around her room and deciding whether or not they’d be making the trip to New York with her.  
Finally around 8 p.m., she’d finished her packing and looked in the large mirror behind her sink. 

“I’m so ready.” She thought. “Parsons won’t know what hit them with this fiery, little bug.” Marinette formed a little ball with her fist and pumped it in the air for herself. 

“You are sooo ready for school, Marinette!” The little red bug flew down from her loft and spiraled around her head, making her chosen giggle. 

“Thank you, Tikki! And I’m so glad you get to come with me. It’ll be so much more comfortable to have my closest friend with me in a new city.” She held out her hand for her little friend to sit on it and tickled her tiny tummy. 

She was so relieved that after she and Chat Noir defeated Hawkmoth, Master Fu wanted them to keep their Kwamis in case of an emergency. Marinette felt so lucky to be able to be Ladybug for life. 

She and Tikki smiled at each other in trusting silence until Marinette’s phone buzzed from across the room, “Oh! Let me get that.” 

She walked over and dropped herself into her spinning chair, letting it slide her over to her desk to pick up her phone. 

“Hello, Adrien.” She reached up and twirled a piece of her bobbed black hair around her finger. 

“Hi, Mari! I was wondering what you were up to tonight?” He sounded upbeat as normal but maybe a little— nervous? 

“Oh. Hmm, not much! I just finished packing. You know, the plane takes off tomorrow at noon.” She thought she might have heard him sigh on the other end, but decided it was just a bit of static. “Did you have something in mind you wanted to do tonight?” 

“Well actually,” Adrien started, “I thought you might like to join me for ice cream and a walk? Just to get to say goodbye before you leave.”

“That sounds so nice. Be here in thirty minutes?” She felt Tikki settle on her lap as she talked. 

“Actually.. what if I told you I was already out front of the bakery?” He laughed a little, Marinette imagined he probably ran his hands through his hair then, like he always did when he was brushing off a bit of nervousness. 

“Oh well, then I’ll be down in just a second!” With that Marinette hung up her phone and began pulling on her shoes. 

“How thoughtful of him! Coming to surprise you like that.” The little god swooned from her lap. 

—————————

The bakery chime clinked behind her as Marinette stepped onto the street. 

The late summer sun had only begun to set behind where Adrien stood. He was faced away from her but swung around on his feet when he heard the door chime. 

“Good evening, Marinette.” He reached out and brought her into a quick hug before he took her hand to start their walk. Mari was used to their little walk-routine since the Hawkmoth incident. 

When she and Chat Noir took Hawkmoth down a little over a month prior, it came out to the team of heroes that their biggest foe was none other than Gabriel Agreste. Of course, Marinette had always had her suspicions, but this was confirmation, and what was worse was when it hit the fan and Adrien took the brunt of the impact. She’d never seen him so heart broken, he’d lost his mother only four years before and now he’d lose his only other parent if his father were sent to jail. Ladybug decided at that point to keep the information of Hawkmoth’s identity quiet from the people of Paris. It was solely between her, Chat Noir, Adrien, and the Agreste household staff. Instead of sending him to prison, she decided he would go on a sort of mandated therapy-break, to a small rehab center that dealt with trauma victims, in hopes that he’d finally be able to deal with the loss of his wife and Adrien’s mother. Of course this meant that Adrien had to take over the family’s company as soon as he graduated that spring. 

But ever since then, Marinette had become a support system for him. She had no idea why he had chosen to rely on her so heavily after the event, but he just started calling her up and asking her to walk with him one night. And the tradition stuck. 

“Are we going to DuPont’s Ice Cream Parlor tonight?” Marinette filled the comfortable silence as they drifted through the city streets. 

“Hmm, you see, I thought we might be able to do something different tonight.” Adrien continued to lead her and took an abrupt turn onto a street that ran along the Seine. 

That’s when Marinette saw the bridge and the famous ice cream cart of André, the sweetheart ice cream man. And that wasn’t all. 

As they approached, it became apparent that their walk wasn’t just for the two of them. Alya and Nino were sitting on a bench next to Myléne and Ivan. Rose was leaning over the railing, looking down at the river with Juleka holding her small waist for support. Nath and Marc were there, as well as Alix and Kim and Max. 

Marinette gasped. 

“Surprise, Mari.” Adrien squeezed her hand and looked down at her with the biggest grin spread across his face. 

“D-did you...?” Her question hung in the air and she stepped up onto the bridge and Alya crashed into her for the biggest hug. 

“Oh I’m going to miss you so much, girl.” She whispered into Marinette’s hair. She’d be lying if she said tears weren’t building up in her big blue eyes at that moment. 

Alya pulled out of the embrace only for the rest of her girls to come up to her for the biggest group hug. They all were sniffling as they said encouraging things to Marinette while her own sniffles grew. 

She finally broke free of the loving huddle to be bombarded with the rest of her previous classmates all coming to congratulate her individually and thank her for the various deeds she’d done for them in the past. It were as if she were being passed through the most loving chain of all of her friends until she wound up at the end with Adrien holding out an ice cream cone to her. 

“I did promise ice cream, right?” He was still holding the cone out when Mari crushed him in a very emotional hug of her own. He gasped in slight shock before putting his free arm around her and nuzzling his face into her hair. 

“Thank you sooo much for organizing this, Adrien. You’re the best friend I could ask for.” She whispered against his soft black tee shirt. Marinette finally let her tears fall, feeling the full impact of all of her friends love and affection that night on the bridge. 

Adrien cradled her head a little longer before he chuckled lightheartedly and said, “Your ice cream is going to melt into your hair, Mari.” 

————————-

Marinette woke up to her mother’s gentle call from the bottom of her ladder, the next morning. Her eyes adjusted to the sunlight in her loft and it hit her that she wouldn’t be sleeping that night in her bed. She’d be in her new apartment in her new city. 

Her stomach instantly felt like a twist of excitement and the urge to vomit. 

“Are you ready for our next adventure, Tikki?” She yawned a little before giving her Kwami a little pat on the head. 

“The question is if you’re ready, Marinette?”


	2. Welcome Home

With her headphones in and Jagged Stone’s entire discography on repeat, the flight didn’t feel too long at all. Marinette’s parents had come with her to help her into her apartment, although secretly she knew her dad just wanted to make sure she’d be safe. 

Currently she stood at the foot of a building that seemed larger than life. She had been used to some tall buildings in Paris, but never as many as were in New York. Her apartment building was located a few blocks away from Parsons, in lower Manhattan, she had learned. 

“This certainly seems like a nice little neighborhood, sweetie.” Her mom began, holding a few boxes in her hands, “Did you see that cute little coffee shop across the street? It said they sell homemade pastries on their sign!” 

“Oh Maman! I’m sure they’re not as good as your and Papa’s.” Marinette chuckled and entered the code on the keypad to her building. The door clicked unlocked and she led everyone inside. 

“You’re on the eighth floor, right? We should try to snag an elevator. If I have to carry all these suitcases up eight flights of stairs...” her father mused while carrying in at least four of her luggage bags in his ginormous hands. 

“Huh, it’s as if you don’t casually throw around ten pound bags of flour in the bakery at home.” Her mother poked him in the chest once they made it in the elevator and she could rest her boxes against the railing. Marinette always loved her parent’s gentle banter and it definitely helped make her new building feel warmer. 

The architecture of the building was completely new to her. It was a high rise apartment building with fifteen floors. The outside of the building was mainly large white and grey bricks, with huge windows scattered on every wall. She had chosen her apartment entirely based on the fact that she’d be able to have a lot of natural light and a great view of the city around her. On top of that, she also had an enclosed balcony that would allow her to escape as Ladybug if need be. 

The bell of the elevator dinged when they reached the eighth floor. Everything inside the building was so pristine looking. Clean, white walls with black marble floors, in the hallways. Gold and platinum fixtures hung on the walls of the elevator as well. It looked so modern and the vibe was aided with the additional keypad lock on her door. 

Mari set down her boxes to get her key out of her pocket and fumbled with it to open her door, after pressing in her four digit passcode as well. 

“Well, I’ll say. The security here is definitely a plus.” Her father puffed his chest in happiness at that thought. 

The door swung open to a small, open living space. Marinette was pleased with the glossy wooden floors and the light bouncing off of them from her floor-to-ceiling windows. It was a one bedroom apartment and her father took her bags into the room to set them down. 

She gravitated towards the kitchen area, examining the white granite counter tops and small island she’d definitely be using to bake her own homemade treats. Her cabinetry was white and had glass panels to see inside at her, currently empty, shelves. She also had stainless steel appliances, a standard refrigerator, a small dishwasher, stove and oven unit. Marinette mentally patted herself on the shoulder for saving up all those years of Nadja’s babysitting paychecks. Of course she also had a fairly large check from her parents and grandmother upon graduation. She wanted to turn it down, but with her full ride scholarship to the school of her dreams, she decided she deserved a little money towards her rent and any groceries she’d want to start off with. 

Her mother quickly broke her from her thoughts as she stepped in the kitchen area, “Wow. Make sure to invite me back here to cook for you sometime. This is a lovely place.” 

She smiled at her daughter before Marinette replied, “You always say the kitchen is the heart of the home, Maman. I took that seriously when choosing my new place.” Her mom wrapped an arm around her back and pulled her in tight. 

“I’m so proud of you, Marinette.” She said with tears on the brim of her voice. Mari felt a small movement in her purse, knowing Tikki had been listening and seconded her mother’s words. A large smile broke out on her face, squishing her bluebell eyes and taking in all the happiness she could muster. 

“Well, I must say that MY daughter has great taste!” She could hear her father call from across her living room and in her bedroom, “This view is gorgeous!” 

She and her mother chuckled a little before walking towards Tom’s voice. Marinette didn’t expect her bedroom to be so spacious from the pictures she saw online. 

“Wow! I could definitely fit a new drawing table in here! And maybe even a mannequin for pinning up pieces!” She glanced around the room and wandered into the master bathroom. There was a shower and a soaking tub along the wall with a large window to view the city through while she relaxed. It was everything she could ever have asked for in a new home. 

She ran back through the door to her room and plopped herself onto her newly placed bed with her arms flung out. 

Her father grinned at her, “Are you loving this?” 

The designer looked around at the spacious room with the boxes stacked in every corner, “Actually, Papa, I’d love to have my bed against that wall!” She pointed at the wall with the best view adjacent to it and giggled. Tom rolled his eyes jokingly at his now, very much grown up, little girl and threw one of her pillows at her. Causing more laughter to erupt through the room. 

———————

Once her parents left for their hotel that night, Marinette sat back on her chaise, now placed in the corner of her new living room. 

She was finally relaxing, they had been working hard since they got in that evening on unpacking her. Marinette was definitely grateful that she didn’t pack all of the memorabilia from her high school days that she wanted to bring. For the most part, all of her belongings were put away except for her decorations and a few more furniture things she’d have to buy now that she were there. 

There was a quiet lull until she realized it were too quiet.  
“Oh my bad, Tikki! I forgot you were in there!” Marinette suddenly sat up and opened her small purse. The little god flew out and around the whole apartment before coming to float in the front of Marinette. 

“This place is just like a tiny house! And you’re gonna live here all by yourself?” 

“Well, I’ll have you with me!” She reached out and gently tickled Tikki’s belly with her pointer finger. “But yeah! This apartment is allll mine!” Marinette held out the word and once again threw herself back on her chaise, smiling from ear to ear. 

“When will your classes start, Marinette?” Tikki was darting around, investigating different parts of the room as they spoke. 

“In about two weeks. I wanted to give myself time to settle in and maybe try to find a new job or internship before I have to go to classes all day.” 

“You must be so excited to start making new friends! I bet your classes are going to be so fun. And it’s an art school! So everyone will be just like you!” Her high pitched voice earned a giggle from Mari. 

“I guess so, Tikki. I’m happy to be improving my craft. And I’ve never drawn a real model before! I’m looking forward to that.” She clutched a pillow to her chest as she gushed. 

Just then Marinette’s phone began buzzing, startling the two friends. “Speaking of models...” Tikki said, as the designer raised the phone up to see who was calling. 

She answered it and suddenly heard Adrien’s voice. “Hey Marinette! How’s New York?” He asked giddily. 

“It’s so great!” She couldn’t suppress her huge grin, “My apartment is everything I could have wanted and there are so many things in my neighborhood that I want to try out!” 

“That sounds so nice. Any good ice cream spots?” 

“All you ever think about are sweets!” She chided him and giggled, “But I might have seen a small ice cream shop a couple streets down.” She teased. 

“I can’t wait to visit and try it with you!” His sentence surprised her. Though he and Marinette had been becoming really great friends this past month, she never thought he’d visit New York just to see her. 

“W-would you really come— just for me?” She stuttered a little. Her crush on him had become more manageable as their friendship grew, but occasionally he just made her heart skip. 

“Of course! Even though— my father—, “ his voice stressed the words, “still has me pretty busy running the company, I’m going to make sure I can come see you! Especially once you get settled in. I know some models and fashion designers in the area, and maybe I could get you some new friends and connections!” 

“Oh, Adrien!” She gasped, her hand shooting up to cover her mouth, “That’d be SO amazing! Would you really? It wouldn’t be too much trouble, would it?” The excitement leaked out of her as she rambled in gratitude. 

“Nothing is too much trouble for you, Marinette.” He spoke so earnestly, “You’re my best friend.” 

There was a moment of silence between them as Mari couldn’t do anything but smile at how great their relationship was these days. She still had hope that maybe a romance could blossom between them at some point, but she was just so happy to be his best friend and him, her’s. 

“I love you, Adrien.” She whispered. Of course, she only meant it platonically that time, but he still needed to know how grateful she was for him. 

He paused for a moment and Marinette could practically see the smile and blush that played across his face, “I love you too, Mari.” 

——————

 

Adrien had just finished his call with Marinette. He couldn’t deny that his heart was fluttering as he sat in the plush office chair that once belonged to his dad. 

“You loooovvveeeee her!” Plagg teased out of his chest pocket. 

He also couldn’t deny that the past few months, he had begun to fall for the other blue eyed girl in his life. Her unconditional kindness and levelheaded nature were exactly what he needed to help gain control on his life again when his father left for rehab. Her presence had always been a calming force in his life, but recently she’d become his confidant, his reason to keep working every day. She was the only person he told about the Hawkmoth situation, and she was so much more than understanding. He never thought someone could be that way. 

“I think— I do, Plagg.” He stared straight ahead and let the realization bring the softest smile to his face. 

“I wouldn’t have said it if it weren’t true. Have I ever lied to you?” Adrien could see the little cat’s head pop out of his shirt with a cheshire grin, which his chosen returned. 

There was suddenly a knock at the door causing Adrien to jump, “Plagg! Hide!” He whispered before he said, “Come in!” 

“It’s a little late for you to be up, Adrien” Nathalie peeked her head in. 

“I could say the same for you.” He glanced at the clock, it was already nearing 3 am. “I was calling to check on my friend who just moved to America.” He stretched his arms and suppressed a yawn. 

“The designer friend?” She asked, stepping inside the office. Adrien simply nodded as he arranged papers on the desk. No matter how busy he was, the fashion house was in good hands. He was smart, business savvy. He had essentially been raised, trained to be the perfect gentleman in business exchanges. “Your father called. He was suggesting you try to find another artist to take over the executive position while he’s away.” She didn’t sit, just stood in front of his desk. 

This caused the blond to look up, “I do know someone... but an executive position... What do you think, Nathalie? You’ve seen Marinette’s work. Do you think she could take over the fashion part of my father’s job?”

Her face didn’t move, expression never faltering when in thought. “If I remember correctly, she was more than capable on top of being naturally gifted in design. Your father certainly had a soft spot for her when I had ever brought her up to him before.” 

“But she’s in school in New York. She couldn’t possibly come back here and give up the amazing opportunity she has with her scholarship at Parson’s.” He dropped his head into his hands. 

“That may not be necessary. The Agreste House has a large branch in the fashion district of New York.” She noticed the smile start to perk up on Adrien’s face, “And not to overstep my boundaries, but it seems to me that it might make you happy to get out of Paris for a while... especially if you’d be able to continue your walks with a certain young woman.” 

He looked up at her suddenly to see the soft smile playing on her normally stressed features. “Do you mean it, Nathalie?!” He didn’t notice that he stood up suddenly. 

Her face quickly went back to normal, “Would you like me to begin looking into housing options for you, sir?” 

He broke out in the biggest smile Nathalie had seen on him in nearly two months, “Definitely! Thank you, Nathalie!” 

She bowed her head and stepped out of the room just in time for Adrien to drop back into his chair and spin around. 

“Can you believe it, Plagg? I’ll get to go see Marinette! And maybe even offer her the job of her dreams!” He put his hands up on his head in disbelief. 

“Well, I’ll certainly say that happened sooner than I expected.” The little black cat yawned, “Can we go to bed now? I’m ready to start another day of eating cheese tomorrow!” 

“Of course, you silly cat.” Adrien put his head back and silently thanked life for the first bit of good luck he’d had in a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank you for reading! I’m on a huge writing kick right now so I’ll probably have the next chapter up soon! 
> 
> You can find me on tumblr at Miraculous-Ladybec  
> Or twitter at @kindabecca


	3. Maybe He Is

It was day four since Marinette had moved into her apartment and the finishing touches were finally— well, finishing up! She hung up her friend’s photos, placed decorative pillows on the couch, and she even constructed a new drawing table with her dad. The once empty apartment, had now become her home. 

Including the smell of baking bread. 

“Maman! I told you, you didn’t have to bake anything for me.” Marinette floated into her kitchen on the toasty smell of fresh bread. 

“Your father and I are leaving in the morning and I needed to know you’d have food in the house!” Sabine took the first loaf out of the oven and promptly replaced it with a second tray of dough. 

“Alright. Well, thank you, Maman. I’m happy to know I’ll never be out of bread.” She kissed her mom on the cheek before retreating to the living area where Tom was resting on her red velvet couch, placed at a perfect angle to maximize the space and compliment the chaise. 

“I think you just missed a call from Alya, sweetheart! You left your phone on the table over here.” He gestured to the coffee table in front of him, not moving his head from the game of Ultimate Mecha Strike III he was playing. 

Marinette picked up her phone to see that she hadn’t just missed a call, she’d missed seven. 

“Alya sure is persistent.” She mumbled to herself as she went out onto her balcony and dialed her friend’s number for a FaceTime. 

“Finally! You get my calls?” Alya answered the phone on the second dial tone. 

“Hello to you too.” Mari chuckled, “But yeah. I was a little busy around the new place. What’s up?” 

Alya craned her hand into view on the phone, showing a stunning diamond ring on her left hand. “NINO PROPOSED!” She screamed. 

“CONGRATULATIONS, ALYA!” Marinette was so ecstatic that she had to keep from dropping her phone over the edge of her balcony. “Give me all the details!” 

“Well, it’s a long story! But to make it short, Nino and I were at the zoo, and he took me to the same enclosure that Ladybug left us in! He got some friends to play romantic music from around us and there were rose petals. No wonder I said yes! And now it’s official!” She gushed, not moving her hand from the phone screen. 

Marinette internally congratulated herself on setting up two of her best friends all that time ago. “I’m so happy for you.” 

“I’m already planning the wedding, girl! It won’t be for a few years, we’re still young, but I want you to design my dress!” 

“Of course! Of course! A million times, I will definitely.” The buoyancy of the conversation was enough to make both girls feel like they were floating as talk of the wedding turned to talk about Mari’s new apartment, turned to college classes. They probably talked for at least an hour before the blue eyed girl got a notification for her phone battery. 

“Hey! I’m gonna have to go here, Alya. But tell Nino I said hi, and everyone else when you see them!” 

“Will do, girl. Love ya!” Alya winked across the screen. 

“Love ya too.” Mari held up her peace sign before the call clicked off. 

During the phone call, the sun had set but the sky was still alight with the city. Marinette sat for a minute, just looking at her new city in awe before she felt hands on her back, her parents calling her back inside for dinner.

——————

 

Adrien left the office door open today. He knew that his assistant had found a few options for his new home and he was so excited. 

“I can’t wait to get out of Paris.” He talked to Plagg inside his shirt, “Of course it’s my home, but I just need to get away. With all of the stress of Dad being Hawkmoth,” he shuddered slightly, “And me taking over the business. It will just feel like a new start for me, ya know. And the last time I was in New York, Mom went with us.” Adrien pulled the framed picture of his mother on the desk closer to him. Memories of the way his family used to be flooding his head. He could remember his first trip to the US with his mother so vividly. The way she was so excited to show him the Statue of Liberty, and all the famous landmarks. How she lit up brighter than the skyline at night. He missed his mother more than he could handle at times. 

“She’d be so proud of you, Adrien.” He expected the voice to have come from in his shirt pocket, only to look up and see Nathalie looking at him. 

“I hope so.” He sighed before sliding the picture back, shifting focus to the other woman who was like a mother to him. “Did you find anything good?” 

She pulled out her tablet and set it down in front of him so he could review his options. He swiped through about six different apartments but only one caught his eye. It looked like a relatively small penthouse with exposed brick and a large fireplace. 

“How about that one?” He handed her back the tablet and she nodded. 

“I’ll make the arrangements.” Nathalie saw the soft smile on Adrien’s face before she left the room. 

“Alright! Back to work then.” The blond turned his attention back to his ever-growing pile of papers, knowing that once he got through them, he’d be able to call his favorite lady. 

———————-

“Have a safe trip home! I love you!” Marinette yelled down the hallway after saying multiple goodbyes to her parents. They waved back at her as the elevator door opened and they got inside. 

It was mid morning and Mari was ready to explore. “Alright, Tikki! Let’s paint this town red!” She knew the fastest way to see her new neighborhood would be from the sky, but she’d be subtle. Try not to startle anyone and keep to the shadows. 

“Tikki! Spots on!” The transformation began for the first time in months. Marinette had been thinking about redesigning her costume with the Kwami since she cut her hair into the blunt bob she’d been sporting, and it seemed that Tikki had read her mind, like always. 

Her new costume was skintight like before, but rather than her shoes connecting to the rest of her suit, she had defined, black boots that came up to her thighs. Instead of red ribbons trailing off of pigtails, they hung from the front of her loose hair like two little scarlet highlights. She was thankful that her suit maintained the turtleneck she was used to, as she hated the idea of female superheroes being over sexualized. However there were now cold shoulder accents to the top and elbow length black gloves. Just the right amount of grownup flair that an 18 year old Ladybug would want. 

“It’s perfect, Tikki!” She kept looking at herself in the mirror for a minute before opening her balcony door and throwing her yo-yo at a nearby building and taking off. 

————————-

Ladybug swung from rooftop to rooftop, looking at all the people bustling below her. She made sure to keep tabs on a French patisserie she found, hopefully they’d have macarons she could pick up for Tikki to try. 

“There!” She landed on a roof, probably four blocks away from her apartment. It was the ice cream shop she’d mentioned to Adrien. “Hmm. Davey’s Ice Cream. I gotta remember that.” She stepped back, readying her throwing arm to take off when she heard a voice behind her. 

“Hello?” Ladybug turned to see a girl, probably around her age, sitting on a small chair next to a rooftop garden. She had big hazel eyes and very curly black hair. And an extremely confused expression. 

“Oh! Umm— hi there!” Ladybug broke her stance to walk closer to the civilian. 

“So are you like... some kind of superhero or something?” The girl cocked her head before letting out a snicker. 

“My name is Ladybug! And I guess you could say that.” She held out her gloved hand and the girl shook it, still giggling a little 

“Huh. Well, I’m Dani. Nice to meet you, uh— Ladybug.” They dropped their hands and the blue eyed girl scratched the back of her head nervously. 

“It was nice meeting you, Dani! But I gotta fly. Bug out!” She saluted her like she used to do back in her earlier teens and set off to the next roof, glancing back only slightly to see her new friend still watching her. 

————————

Marinette landed on her balcony at around 4 pm. She was starting to feel her stomach grumble and fell into her apartment through the sliding doors. 

“Oh Tikki. I’m starving!” She dragged herself to the kitchen to find the platter of treats her parents had baked before they left. The little god landed on the counter and snatched up a cookie, eating it whole. Mari opted to slice up her bread and slather some raspberry jam on it. 

The two sat at her breakfast bar in silence, stuffing their faces and enjoying the cool breeze that was blowing in through the open balcony door. 

“We haven’t done that in a long time, Marinette! That was so much fun.” Tikki laid back, propped on her tiny arms. Her grin taking up her whole face as she looked at her chosen. 

“I know! And I can’t believe I met someone! She was so shocked to see me.” Mari got a kick out of remembering the surprise on the girl, Dani’s, face. 

“I hope you get to meet more people soon, though hopefully not as Ladybug! You deserve to make lots of new friends.” 

“Thank you, Tikki! And you deserve lots of sweet treats.” She finished her bread and jam and hopped off the stool to go clean her plate. “We need to go visit that patisserie, I saw, sometime!” 

Her Kwami giggled again. “You’re the best master I’ve ever had.” 

“And you’re the best Kwami I’ve ever had!” Marinette put the clean plate away and went to settle down on her couch with her cup of tea, flipping on her tv. 

“Confirmation just now coming in that the mega fashion brand, Agreste, will be moving it’s headquarters to their branch here in NYC!” Marinette spat her tea out just having taken a sip. 

“TIKKI! DID YOU HEAR THAT!” Marinette sat dumbfounded, looking at the news as the little red bug flew into the room. 

“What happened?” 

“The— Adrien—,” She sputtered out. 

“Breathe, Marinette!” Tikki went over to stroke the designer’s hair. 

She took in a deep breath, “They’re moving the headquarters for Agreste to HERE!” All her words came out before exhaling again. 

“Wow. Adrien must have missed you!” The Kwami sat on the coffee table, looking amused at the shock not fading from her chosen’s face. The news continued to go over various topics but Marinette abandoned the couch in pursuit of her phone. Barely skipping a beat while dialing the number. 

“Adrien! You’re moving here?!” She barely even waited for him to pick up before she spoke. 

He chuckled on the other end. “Yeah! Isn’t it great? I meant to call you but I hadn’t gotten my paperwork finished yet. Nathalie has been scouring for an apartment for me and I’ll be moving out by next week!” 

Marinette had to hold her finger over the kwami’s tiny mouth to keep her from laughing at the astonishment that must have been all over her pale face. “Ye-yeah! That’s awesome. What brought about the change?” 

“Well, that’s the other thing. I don’t really like to talk business over the phone, so I’d love to have dinner with you when I get there. Will Sunday night work for you? I’d love to see your new place too, if you’re alright with that.” Adrien buzzed with excitement on the phone and Marinette’s face finally broke into the smile she’d been working up to. 

“Of course! I’m so excited you’ll be living here too! We can keep going on walks and we can go to that ice cream shop! And— you need to talk business with me?” Her smile faltered into a look of confusion. 

“Well, yeah. I don’t want to make an offer over a call, but I have a proposition for you. It’s the main reason we’re moving the headquarters out to New York. We need a new creative head for the company and I thought you’d be perfect for the job. I’ll go over details at dinner! So don’t think about it too much, but definitely keep it in mind.” 

Marinette’s face lit up like a Christmas tree, “Wait! So you want to hire me? As like a designer? For Agreste!?” She was literally flailing her arms around. 

Adrien chuckled, “That was the idea.” 

“Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! I don’t know what to say!”

“How about you say you’ll meet me at dinner on Sunday?” His voice was smooth like maple syrup, dripping with happiness, “It’s only four nights away, but I can hardly wait to see you.” 

Marinette’s heart fluttered. “Y-yeah. I-I’ll definitely be there.” 

“See you then. Goodnight, Marinette” the line clicked off only in time for the blue eyed girl to fall back on her couch and cover her face. 

“Can you believe it?! Me! A designer at Agreste!” Her arms fell backwards and she stared at the ceiling. 

“He’s in love with you, Marinette.” Tikki floated into her view and the girls cheeks instantly turned beet red. 

“N-nooooo. We’re friends. And he is the best friend ever to recognize my talent to offer me my dream job.” 

“Oooorrrr, he’s totally in love with you!” The Kwami threw her arms in the air like she’d accomplished her greatest wish in finally seeing her chosen getting on with the boy she’d been crushing on for five years. 

“Maybe he is...” Mari let the words sit on her chest for a second before slamming a pillow over her face and screaming giddily, “Maybe he is, Tikki!”


	4. Fun and Games

On Sunday morning Marinette woke up to the sun pooling into her warm bedroom. She looked over to see her Kwami still in a deep sleep, her tiny mouth opening to let out the quietest snores. She found her phone on the bedside table and looked at the screen. 

“It’s Sunday.” Marinette thought, “I get to see Adrien tonight.” Her face became just as sunny as the room around her. She practically floated out of bed and into her bathroom to get ready for the day. 

She decided on taking a pampering bath with a bathbomb she’d gotten at a nearby organic beauty store, low key hoping it would make her skin sparkle for her date that night. 

Wait. Was it a date?

Marinette hadn’t thought that hard about it. She knew it was going to be business talk, but, otherwise, would it be like a date— date? If it were, she’d been waiting for like five years for this. 

She sunk down in her shimmering bath water and let the relaxing smell ease her nerves. Her cropped hair floating around her head like a navy blue halo. 

She couldn’t stop thinking about what Tikki said the other night, did Adrien love her? Could it even be possible? She thought about their four years of friendship and how much closer they got in the past two months. The night they went on the walk and Adrien told her about Hawkmoth. That had definitely made them a lot closer. 

They’d met up at her parents’ bakery door like normal, but something was off with Adrien that night. He had definitely been more stressed since he was put in charge of the company, but this was different. He didn’t want to hold her hand like they normally did, they fell into a silence, but it wasn’t comfortable. The pair walked that way for a while before Mari piped up. 

“Is everything alright? You’ve been really quiet tonight.” She kept walking at his pace not to make it feel strained. He didn’t look at her, like he couldn’t look at her. “You know you can talk to me about anything, Adrien. I’m here for you.” She reached out and took his hand that he didn’t offer her. He paused and that’s all it took before his firmly built wall crumbled down. 

“It’s just... can I trust you with something? It’s a pretty— difficult secret.” He tightened the hold on her hand to pull her back so his green could meet her blue. 

“O-of course.” She was startled by his sudden seriousness. 

He didn’t drop her hand as they walked over to the park by their old school. Adrien sat down on a bench and Marinette followed. Then he started trying to tell her about what had happened, the reason he had to take over his father’s place in the company, and his voice began to crack. Of course, she knew about everything he was saying, but he needed her undivided attention and she would give him nothing less. Mari put her hand on his shoulder and he leaned into her. 

“It’s just— my own father... he was Hawkmoth.” He couldn’t hold her gaze as he kept his eyes down. The park lights glistened off his cheeks and she knew they were slowly becoming engulfed in tears. “I get it if you don’t want to talk to me anymore. Even if you never wanted to see me again. I probably wouldn’t if I weren’t stuck with me.” He bit his lip like he wanted to tear himself apart, “My dad, the person who has raised me the last four years, was the villain attacking Paris. He caused everyone so much pain. He could have killed people.” Marinette couldn’t help but launch her arms over his shoulders, wrapping him in a tight hug as his body started to wrack with sobs.

“I’m so so sorry, Adrien. I’m right here, you can let it out.”

“I can’t help but feel like it’s all my fault, Mari. Maybe I didn’t try hard enough to get close to him when my mother passed... I should have been more persistent.” He crashed his hands to his face. Wrapping them around Marinette’s arms in the process. His voice was horrified, barely a whisper, “What if I end up just like him?” His body stiffened like his biggest fear had come over him.

“Shhh, no. It’s nothing like that. That won’t happen,” she rubbed soothing circles on his back, “You did everything you could. It was his fault that he didn’t see the amazing son he had right in front of him. He didn’t see how wonderful you were and he willingly gave that up. There’s nothing you did wrong.” She pressed her face against his hair, trying to hold back her own tears. The dim park lighting glistening off his golden strands, blinding her eyes.

“Why would he do that?” Adrien slowly turned into his fourteen year old self in her arms, “Why didn’t he see me? How much I needed him? Why didn’t he love me?” His sobs were getting quieter, but more violent, more desperate, as they crashed through his usually strong body. He was the image of despair cradled in Marinette’s embrace. By the time he finally looked back at her, his eyes shone alarmingly green in contrast with his red, blotchy skin. And all his best friend could do was calmly wipe away his tears while they continued to fall.

 

Marinette remembered that night as if it happened every time she closed her eyes. She’d never seen her classmate that helpless looking. She dunked her head beneath the bathwater to try to wash away the feeling of seeing Adrien’s tears, once more. She knew above anything else, even if Tikki was wrong and Adrien didn’t love her, she’d make sure he never had be in that darkness again. 

By the time she rinsed the conditioner out of her hair, the water had gone cold, making her decide to get out. She wrapped her hair in a towel on top of her head and slipped into her soft, pink robe. 

When Mari returned to her bedroom, Tikki was yawning herself awake. “Good morning sleepy bug!” She bopped her on the nose before heading to the closet to pull out an outfit for the day. 

—————————-

 

Tikki had helped Marinette pick out her clothes for her dinner with Adrien. She presently stood in front of the little Italian bistro in a high waisted black skirt with a fitted, mustard turtle neck, a black shawl gracefully falling over her shoulders. Her little pink clutch wrapped between her hands in front of her. It was ten minutes passed their agreed time and she had been pacing the sidewalk, until the heels of her black boots reminded her how much she hated heels. 

“Do you think he’s caught in traffic, Tikki?” She craned her neck to try to whisper into her clutch, suddenly feeling a hand on her shoulder. 

Marinette jumped before swinging around to see the tall blond looking amused down at her. 

“Sorry! Didn’t mean to startle you.” He chuckled, looking as carefree as his blue-eyed friend had seen him since springtime. 

“Adrien!” She launched her arms over his shoulders, Adrien catching her around the back and spinning her around in the hug. 

“I know it’s only been a week or so, but I’ve already missed you so much.” He whispered into her hair. Marinette instantly felt her stomach flip and her face flush. She was thankful for the darkened city street that would hide her reddened cheeks. 

“I missed you too.” She nuzzled her face in his neck. 

Adrien set her down, finally getting a look at her, “Are you sure you’re the designer and not the model here, Mari? You look stunning.” 

“Thank you, but the real model here is looking just as stunning himself!” She gestured to his dark olive blazer, matched with black skinny jeans. 

Adrien laughed, maintaining his Cheshire grin, “Come on! Let’s go eat.” He took her hand in his and they walked into the bistro together. 

They were sat at a table for two, next to a window. An air vent right beneath them, blowing a warm breeze against their chilled bodies. The lighting was the perfect early, autumn gold, setting off the amber sparkles in Adrien’s emerald eyes. 

The waiter approached with a towel hung over his arm, “Good evening. My name is Tyler and I’ll be serving you, lovely couple, tonight. Can I get some drinks started for you?” He looked at them expectantly and Marinette had to quickly cover herself with her menu, trying to hide the flustered grin that came to her face. 

“I’ll have an ice water, with lemon, please” Adrien gave the waiter a brief smile. 

“Umm— I’ll have an iced tea, with lemon as well.” Mari finally set down her menu and flashed both men a polite grin. Tyler then walked off to retrieve the drinks, leaving the two alone. 

“So, what was the business we needed to discuss, more specifically?” She looked up at her friend with her sapphire eyes sparkling. 

Adrien had to catch his breath quickly, feeling Plagg kick at his chest in his pocket, knowing he was going to be teased later about how much his heart was pounding. “Yes! Definitely. Upon the absence of a head designer at Agreste, formerly Gabriel’s,” he averted his eyes for a second, clearing his throat, then promptly replacing the unease on his face with a smile, “I’ve suggested we hire you to fulfill the designer role, since I have no idea what I’m doing in that department.”

Marinette’s mouth hung agape a tiny bit, letting Adrien continue, “I can handle paperwork and business meetings and appointments all day long. It’s not the most enjoyable thing, but I can do it.” He reached across the table and grabbed his friend’s hand with one of his own, “However, I’m not an artist. I need you for that.” 

It was finally Mari’s turn to talk and she wasn’t sure how she’d get the air into her lungs to make words come out. “Uh—um,” she shook her head to get her mind to work again, “So you’re... offering me a job? A design job?” Adrien nodded, smiling patiently at her, “A job as the head designer at Agreste?” Tyler then returned with the drinks and Marinette took a sip immediately. 

“Specifically, you’d be my partner.” He looked her right in the eyes and she spat her tea out. Adrien couldn’t help but burst out laughing, handing Marinette his napkin. “Are you alright?” 

“Y-yes. Just surprised.” She wiped her mouth, careful not to disturb the vibrant red lipstick she was sporting. “I would love to be your partner.” She said quickly, instantly flustering again at how the sentence sounded coming out of her mouth and the smile it placed on the blond’s face. 

“Oh my god! Thank you, Mari!” He still had one of her hands in his and he brought it up to his lips for a small kiss. “You have no idea how much I was hoping you’d say yes. Having you around will make my job so much better.” His stomach had butterflies swarming inside of it. The two just sat for a minute, eyes searching each other, goofy smiles plastered on both faces. 

“So, what can I get for you to eat tonight?” Neither one of them had any idea Tyler-the-waiter had appeared until he spoke, causing both of them to start. Adrien placed his order, while Marinette nervously tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, realizing it was a little too short to stay there as it immediately fell back to where it previously hung in her face. 

“I’ll have the brown butter linguine, with the roasted zucchini.” Mari closed her menu and handed it off, taking another sip of her tea. 

“So how has your apartment set up been going?” Adrien asked casually. He squeezed his lemon into his cup and set the rind aside. 

Marinette absolutely lit up, “Oh, it’s so great! My parents helped me get all my stuff put away in a few days. The natural light in there is perfect for sketching. And the kitchen, the countertops! I just love the whole place. You really need to come see it!” 

“I definitely wi—“ Adrien paused as his phone began buzzing in his pocket, he rolled his eyes, “I’m so sorry, Marinette. Excuse me.” He stood up and walked away. He finally answered the call when he got outside, the apologetic voice of Nathalie was on the other end. 

“I’m sorry, Adrien. There’s been a little bit of a hang up....” 

————————

Marinette had occupied herself on her phone, checking her emails when Adrien returned, stress apparent on his features. 

“What’s the matter?” She asked.

“Well, the idea was that I’d be staying at a hotel tonight, and moving into my apartment in the morning, but I was just informed that the hotel messed up my booking and so I’ll have to find a last minute room to book in the city.” He ran his fingers through his hair. 

“Stay with me!” Marinette blurted out before she could stop herself, she knew her features instantly turned red. 

“Are you sure? I’d never want to intrude on your space, Marinette.” He looked at her with a worried frown, hand rubbing his neck. 

“No! I mean, yes! You’d totally be fine! I mean, it would totally be fine! I wanted to show you my place anyways,” she averted her eyes nervously and began in twirling a strand of her hair, “And I have a VERY comfortable couch. We can play Ultimate Mecha Strike... It’ll be just like a sleepover.” She found herself rambling. 

Adrien’s smile returned full-force. He’d never had a sleepover with Marinette, despite her being his friend for so long... unless you count the nights he visited her as Chat Noir and fell asleep there. “That sounds so fun.” 

—————— 

 

The lights flipped on and the apartment came to life. The blue eyed girl led her guest inside and he took in a deep breath. 

“How is it possible that you brought the scent of bakery with you?” Adrien laughed. She gestured to the pile of treats on her counter immediately upon entering the room. 

“Maman left me stocked up.” She tossed her keys on the entry table, “I think she was worried I’d starve without her here.” She giggled. 

Adrien got a curious look on his face, “Did... did she happen to leave any of her hot cocoa?” He tapped his fingers on the counter. 

Marinette laughed at his behavior, “That recipe, I can make.” He looked up at her with a childlike grin, “You want some?” 

He bit his bottom lip and nodded enthusiastically. “Do you need help?” He watched on as the black haired girl went around her kitchen, collecting her milk, chocolate powder, sugar, the list went on. 

“I got it!” She was an organized whirlwind in the kitchen, turning on the stove and filling the pot with the ingredients. Adrien had never really watched cooking up close since his meals were always prepped for him by a house staff or at restaurants and neither of his parents cooked. It amazed him to see someone, especially his own age, so capable with making food. 

She stirred the pot while the hot chocolate came to a boil and she turned it down to simmer. 

“I’ll get some mugs out! Which cabinet?” Marinette pointed to the shelf above the stove in front of her, and suddenly found Adrien’s chest pressed against her back, his arm reaching above her head to pull out two mugs. Once he had them down, he backed away and Mari had to admit she missed the contact. 

“You can warm the mugs if you get the hot water going in the sink!” She suggested, “Just put the mugs under there and dry them off before we put the cocoa in them.” 

Adrien did as he was told, placing the Ladybug and Chat Noir themed mugs in the sink, turning on the hot water, and letting it warm the ceramic. Marinette took the pot off the stove and set it on a pot holder on her counter, getting out a ladle, prepared to serve the delicious drink. 

After the mugs were dried, the pair settled in the living room with their cocoa and a plate of cookies that Marinette grabbed sometime when Adrien wasn’t looking. He was pleased to see that she had picked the Chat mug when offered the choice between the two, partially because he wanted the ladybug, and partially because it was so cute to see her with a little black cat mug.

Adrien thought again about what Plagg said the other day. How he realized his feelings for the girl sitting next to him, and thinking about it made his pulse hasten. 

“You wanna play?” Somewhere Marinette’s voice came into his head. 

“What?” He asked dreamily. She giggled, Adrien coming back to the world. 

“You wanna play Ultimate Mecha Strike?” She handed him the controller. He set down his mug and took it from her. 

“You’re on!” He gave her a sly grin. Marinette hit start and the battle set off. He was familiar with her style of playing after playing her for so long on this game. He knew she’d try to make some elaborate distraction to catch him off his guard before hitting the final blow. For what it’s worth, Marinette was an excellent strategist and he never understood it. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t impressed every time. However, he was ready this time. Marinette swung her player around and sent out decoy missiles for Adrien to dodge, he knew if he took the bait, she’d win for sure. But other than her strategies, they were pretty equal on the battlefield, he might have a chance. Adrien stood his ground and let the decoy missiles hit, nothing happened and Marinette seemed shocked when she went in for her real attack and he blocked it. 

“Wha—?” She stuttered, losing her gaming confidence for a second. 

“I guess I just got lucky!” Adrien faked, smirking at her. 

“You won’t get so lucky again, Agreste.” She jumped right back in. And again Adrien saw her signature move coming. She tried to outsmart him again with an extra distraction, going so far as to detach one of her robots arms to throw toward his side of the screen like a boomerang. But when her arm came back, so did Adrien’s attack. Knocking her robot out and winning the game. 

“I guess that was a bit of a catastrophe for you, Prince—“ he caught himself. But carried on with a victorious smile anyways. 

“I demand a rematch!” Marinette looked the grumpiest he’d ever seen her. She might have been a little happier if she believed he won on dumb-luck, but she knew he figured out her game. 

“You’ll have to try a little harder this time, Mari.” He gave her a competitive smirk. 

“‘You’ll have to try a little harder this time, Mari.’” She mocked him under her breath, he had to hold in a laugh. “You won’t know what hit you.” 

The start button was hit again and both players were off. They both landed hits and blocked on and on until Adrien expected Marinette to try her distraction. But it never happened. He broke his attention from the screen for a second to see what she was up to and that’s when she launched her attack. Only this time, she stretched one of her hands out and tickled him under his armpit. 

Adrien was laughing uncontrollably. Between her tickles, and then the view of the, normally put together, girl, holding her controller with one hand and her chin, still trying to win the game, he couldn’t help but laugh. Her tickle attack moved from his underarm to his ribs as he kept flailing his arms and giggling. This time her distraction worked and she took down his robot while he was incapacitated. 

Marinette withdrew her tickles and put both her arms in the air, “I won!” She was about to do her victory dance when Adrien caught his breath and tackled her to the couch with his own tickles. She was a giggling mess beneath him and he was still laughing, himself. Mari pushed back against the blond trying to launch a counter attack. And like that they both fought in the tickle war until they’re lungs gave out from laughing too hard. 

Adrien collapsed on her as they both caught their breaths, but he quickly realized his proximity to her and sat upright, offering her his hand to help her up. “I think that’s enough gaming for tonight.” He smiled nervously and scratched the back of his head, which turned into a stretch and yawn. 

She caught the yawn and followed suit, “Let’s watch a movie! I’m sure you’re worn out from your flight today.” She turned off the gaming console and flipped it over to Netflix. She sat next to him again, grabbing them both blankets from the back of the couch. The pair settled on a movie to watch and settled in. 

It was ten minutes before Adrien felt a warmth on his arm and looked over to see Marinette slumped over, asleep. He couldn’t contain his heart in his chest as he carefully moved so she could cuddle into him better. He wound up with his arm around her and her head on his chest. With his head leaning against a pillow, he closed his eyes for a second....

And then woke up the next morning with sunlight pouring in the windows, his arm still around a sleeping Marinette.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thanks for reading! Once again, my name is Bec and you can catch me  
> On tumblr at Miraculous-ladybec  
> Or twitter @kindabecca


	5. Something New

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! If you've already read this chapter, you should give it another go through. I realized some major flaws in the first version I posted and took it down to revise. So this version should be better, more clear to understand. I'm so sorry about the delay in uploading and the first version I had uploaded of this chapter, I'm in college and this past week has been extremely stressful as we're winding down to finals. Please stick with me. I don't have a beta reader, either, so it's been up to me to catch errors. So if anything seems wrong, or is confusing, let me know in the comments and I'll try to fix it.
> 
> Once again, thank you for reading! It means so much to me. And I hope you enjoy, or re-enjoy, this chapter. 
> 
> Bec

With her eyes fluttering open, Marinette thought she’d had the most restful sleep of her life. She was so comfy, in fact, she felt she might close her eyes once more and go back to sleep. She could sink right into this cozy spot, where she was covered by blankets and the warmth of the sunlight through to window. Her head was warm and her bed smelled just like Adrien’s cologne.

_Wait_. She thought.  _Why would my bed smell like Adrien?_

Marinette snapped her eyes open to see that she wasn’t in fact in her bed, but actually wrapped in the arms of Adrien Agreste. Her head resting on his chest as it rose and fell with his breath. She didn’t dare move anything but her eyes as she looked up at his face, only to see him gently smiling at her as she realized her surroundings.

“Good morning, Mari.” He brushed a piece of hair out of her face sleepily, lightly brushing her skin with his soft thumb.

Marinette still felt like she couldn’t move if she wanted to, and she _really_ didn’t want to.

“Good morning, cutie.” She murmured, holding back a yawn, before her eyes widened, realizing she hadn’t just _thought_ the words in her head, but said them aloud.

Adrien chuckled gently, contently sighing. He continued brushing his thumb against her hair. “Looks like we both slept really well last night. I don’t even remember falling asleep.” His morning voice was slightly more gravelly than his normal smooth tone.

“Me neither.” She thought back to the night before and could only recall bundling up in the blanket before waking up a few minutes prior. Not that she was at all disappointed.

Marinette stretched her arms out and sat up, instantly missing the warmth of Adrien’s body next to hers. “Would you like some breakfast? I have bread and jam... or we can walk to the cafe across the street from my building?” She offered.

His emerald eyes perked up instantly at the idea of coffee, “I’d love to go across the street.”

Marinette got up and walked over to a small linen closet off of the living room. She pulled out a towel and tossed it to Adrien. “The guest bathroom’s over here, if you wanna freshen up.” She pointed to the washroom adjacent to the kitchen.

“I’ll be back in a few.” She grabbed her pink clutch off the table and ducked inside her room.

Now all alone, Adrien felt the kick of his Kwami in his chest pocket.

“You have at least could snuck me some Camembert before you fell asleep with your girlfriend last night.” He flew out in front of him and crossed his tiny arms acrossed his chest.

“I’m sorry, Plagg! I didn’t know I was going to fall asleep like that. She was just so cute when she cuddled up to me like that, I couldn’t disturb her.” He got a dreamy look in his eyes, recalling the events of the previous night.

“It’s fine. It’s fine. You just owe me twice as much now.” He got a strange look on his mini cat face, “Hey! This is progress, though! You didn’t correct me when I called her your girlfriend!” He teased.

Adrien blushed profusely, before picking up the towel Marinette had handed him. “I’m going to go take a shower. Don’t eat all of her food while I’m gone.” He got up and walked to the bathroom.

Plagg was sitting on the couch when he saw Tikki fly out of the bedroom. She paused mid-air and looked at him, signaling for him to follow her to the kitchen.

He flew over and sat next to her behind a bread basket. “Well, good morning, Sugarcube.” The little black cat gave her a bow. Her red features showed a brief flash of annoyance before she rolled her eyes at him.

“Ugh, Plagg! Don’t call me that!” She tore off a piece of bread and shoved it at him, probably, to keep him quiet. “Our masters are getting awfully close, recently, aren’t they?”

Plagg swallowed the bread in one bite and replied, “Yeah. That kid’s crazy for her, now. Seems like we got ourselves another pair of lovebirds for our masters.” He made a reach for another piece of bread, which Tikki, reluctantly, broke off for him.

“Aren’t you at all worried?” He returned her a confused glance, “I mean, his dad was Hawkmoth! Imagine if he found out his son was Chat Noir. The only thing protecting Ladybug is that he doesn’t know who she is!”

“You gotta give him some faith, Tikki! I’ve been his Kwami for just as long as you’ve been hers,” He pointed at Marinette’s bedroom door, “I know you trust her,” He looked her in the eyes,” I know you trust me. So I’m telling you; you can trust him!”

The little bug god conceded, “Okay. You’re right, Plagg, I need to try to trust him more. It’s just so hard because I want to protect her!” There was a noise somewhere beyond the kitchen, and she lowered her head, “It’s more than just wanting to protect my Chosen from her identity being leaked, though. What if he isn’t ready for a relationship the same way she is?”

Plagg gave her a look like she’d just said the most ridiculous thing he’d heard in his thousands of years of life. “You saw them last night, right? Not just the cuddling, but like all of it.” He drew as big of a circle as he could with his arms, to emphasize all of what had happened. “Even I can tell that there are mutual feelings between them. And I normally only care about my own feelings.”

“You have a point. Do you think they’re ready to tell each other?”

“Hmm… Maybe. Lets see if they bring it up to us, and then we can guide them accordingly. I’m guessing this won’t be the last time we’ll be able to chat while our masters are busy together.” Plagg made a suggestive look at her with his expressive little eyebrows. Tikki grabbed another piece of bread and lobbed it at his head. He finally broke composure and laughed at her. “I love you, Sugarcube.”

“And I hate you, Cheese Breath.” Tikki rolled her eyes and bopped him on the cheek before taking off to fly back to her master’s room. Plagg watched her go, still giggling about how easy it was to embarrass her, even after being together for eons.

———————————————

 

It was a quick walk across the street to the family-owned coffee shop. The red brick walls and scuffed wooden floor promoted the coziest atmosphere for a not-so-early, Monday morning breakfast.

Adrien wound up ordering for both of them while Mari scouted out two, over-stuffed, arm chairs for them to eat in. He approached the counter, scruffing his messy, golden hair in thought. Marinette had simply ordered an earl grey and a blueberry scone, but coffee was very important to Adrien’s day. Since he started running the company, at only eighteen, he quickly grew a caffeine dependency that only rivaled the one he had made fun of his father for having. His usual order was not as sophisticated as the elder Agreste though, as he simply couldn’t get down black espresso shots. Normally he opted for a latte or an americano with honey. He continued messing with his hair until he realized the annoyed sounds from the other patrons as he continued to put off placing his order.

Adrien shuffled to the counter and ordered Marinette’s share, before having to hastily decide on going with the coffee shops daily special. It was a drink simply called the White Rabbit, named after the shop itself. He grabbed himself a chocolate muffin and the scone he’d promised his new partner.

The idea sent tingles down his spine. He and Marinette were partners. Four months ago he would have never imagined this happening, or it having this kind of affect on his mental state. But he couldn’t help how enamored he was with the idea of seeing her almost everyday, once again. That was the one thing he really missed about school: not seeing his friends everyday. And while it’s true that he wouldn’t be seeing Nino, or Alya, he had Marinette. And that girl had a grip on his heartstrings that he would never understand. Lost in thoughts of adoration, he missed the barista yelling in his face to get his order.

The lanky blond bashfully reached out to the counter and grabbed their spoils before seeking out where his blue-eyed, not-spotted, lady had gone. When he found her he had to take back his thoughts with an internalized laugh though. Marinette had removed her large, fuzzy sweater, to show that she was wearing a red and black polka-dot button up underneath. Adrien almost blushed at how good the pattern looked on her. He had pause, admiring the way the scarlet complimented her blue black hair and pale skin.

She must’ve caught him staring as she turned to look at him, a glint of amusement in her sky blue eyes. “You got everything you need?”

He looked her over once more, unconsciously before nodding. He realized his actions a second too soon and shook his head, trying to hide the embarrassment on his tanned cheeks. “Uh— yeah.” He handed her over her tea and scone, “The line was a little long.” He settled into the huge chair, catty corner to her’s, a round, side table between them holding their breakfasts.

“So tell me more about what my job will entail? I’ve been so excited thinking about everything.” Marinette sat on the edge of her hair and placed her hands on her legs, she looked like she could start bouncing in place.

_Oh god, why is she so cute?_  Adrien thought, reaching up to loosen his light blue, scarf.

“Well, you’ll be working very closely with me.” He began, mentally scolding himself for already letting his new crush interfere in their work relationship, “I mean! We can have separate offices, if you like! Other than that, I’ll pretty much be at my desk going through paperwork. You get the fun part of the job, you get to work with all the other creatives at the office in designing lines. However, you’ll have a special position in that you’ll be the executive, so you basically just have final say on any piece that leaves the house, and you have the responsibility of making sure everything looks it’s best before we ship designs to manufacturers or host shows.”

Through everything he said, Marinette’s face went from ecstatic, to happy, to slight worry, then landing firmly on fear. “Oh my. Wow. I didn’t know I’d have so much power.” She rubbed her hands together in her lap, “Are you sure I’m ready for this, Adrien? Wouldn’t someone a bit more experienced be better for this? I’m literally only a student.” Her eyebrows cocked in anxiety.

Adrien put on his most reassuring smile, “Not that he has been the most morally upright individual, but my father knows his fashion. He’s been following trends closer than he’s followed me as my father.” He grinned a bit darkly, “That being said, he greatly admired your work and always had big hopes for you as a designer. When the position came open, you were the first person I thought of.”

She didn’t look thoroughly convinced, biting her bottom lip, “Are you sure? I just— I don’t want to mess anything up. Put a bad name out there for you or your family.”

Adrien had to hold back a laugh, as if anything else could put a worse name out for his family than not having a designer and it coming out that his father was a psychotic super-villain. He shook his head, “I promise you that you’ll be great at this. Remember what I said? We can literally share an office if you want. I’ll be right here for you! And I will personally back any of the decisions you make.” He held his hand out to take hers, “Also, you’d be doing me an enormous favor by taking this position. I really need you, Marinette.”

She released the tension from her face, seeing a need and letting Super-Marinette come to the rescue. “Okay! I’m in. But—“ she tilted her head away, as if holding back her exceptions, “I get to pick my side of our office.” She glanced back at him to catch the relief that flooded his features before giggling.

“If those are your only stipulations, you can have any office you’d like, any side you want.” He finally relaxed enough to sip his coffee. A dance of robust espresso and a mellow sweetness on his tongue.

“I mean, we didn’t even talk about my pay yet...” Marinette teased. He literally couldn’t take her seriously at all when she said that. Adrien knew a lot about the woman sitting across from him, and all of it told him that money wasn’t important to her.

“I’ll tell you what,” he set down his cup, “I fully intend on paying you more than fair compensation for your artistic abilities, and then at least, another thousand dollars on top of that for being my partner and putting up with me.”

She knew he was joking, at least she thought he was, but Marinette’s face was frozen in shock, “An ex-extra thousand?” She was about to begin arguing for less, Adrien knew it.

“At LEAST, an extra thousand.” He smiled slyly. This little game they played, you could call it a cat and mouse game, it was the most fun he’d had with her. The constant teasing just to get a little reaction out of the other. The good natured joking between, what Adrien could hope, would soon be more than friends.

“Adrien!” She whined, his breath caught in his throat, “You can’t pay me that much! I won’t allow it!” She crossed her arms across her ladybug patterned blouse.

“Hmmm... well let’s see! I’m Adrien Agreste. THE Adrien Agreste,” He playfully scratched his chin as if in deep thought, “And since the company is named _Agreste_ , and not _Marinette_ , I get to pay you however much I want.” He grinned at the incredulous look on her face.

“You’re so stubborn.” She rolled her eyes, throwing her balled up napkin at him.

“Only enough to match you, my strongest competitor.” She brushed her cropped hair behind her ears, still making a face as if he’d greatly inconvenienced her in some way. Her blue eyes swimming with mischief, and her cheeks lightly blushed under a speckling of freckles.

_Has She always had those?_  Adrien’s heart pounded in his chest, _Good lord, she might be the death of me. Why on earth did Plagg have to explain to me that I love her? I could have gone on blissfully unaware of what a beautiful, puzzle she is_.

She leaned back in her chair, gracefully taking a sip of her tea. “After this, will we be heading to your place, or mine, Mr. Agreste?” She had to know what she was doing to him.

_Damnit. Marinette, I think I’m falling in love with you and I don’t know what to do._  
——————————-

Marinette carried as much as she could into Adrien’s apartment. It was on the top floor of his building, and his assistant had hired him a team to move him in. So while it wasn’t really necessary to help, she had a hard time watching other people work without lending a hand.

His apartment wasn’t very big, honestly not much larger than Marinette’s, other than the high ceilings. She mused in her head that this apartment would also be really good for a superhero with the private rooftop access. However, that point would be lost on Adrien since he didn’t have a double life like her.

She even smirked at the idea of Adrien being a hero, _He’d be sooo cute in a hero costume. I bet the miraculous of the dog would suit him._

Continuing to walk into the room, Mari noticed how different it was from his house in Paris. There was barely any white around. It was a dimly lit space with warm wooden floors and exposed brick walls. She wasn’t sure if Adrien had chosen the furnishings or hired someone to do it for him, but it was the epitome of comfort. There were large soft rugs in maroon and olive hues, and giant suede couches that looked as though they could swallow you whole. The entire place was covered in pillows, some faux fur, some in large, fluffy, hand-knit cases. Candles rested open on every surface she could see. It was an open living space, kitchen flowing into living room, with a brick, breakfast bar. She could so easily imagine him setting up an espresso machine and sipping his morning coffee here. Maybe even with Marinette making fresh baked croissants or pain au chocolat in the morning when they wake up…

_No! Marinette, you are not in a relationship with him, last night was a one time only thing. You two are friends and nothing more, at least for now._

She distracted herself by setting down her boxes and continuing to wander into Adrien’s new bedroom. He had a fairly simple set up with a platform bed and a nice, small desk. She assumed he would set his laptop here and work from home some days, or maybe if the workload were too much, he might have to bring some home with him at the end of a tiring day. She hated that idea, the thought of Adrien dragging himself home, only to have to be trapped in his room to finish paperwork and bring business into the place that’s supposed the a solace for him. She silently swore that, once she began working, she’d make sure Adrien had his work done before the end of the day, even if she had to stay late with him. He was already under enough stress, he didn’t need anymore.

“So you found where the magic happens?” Adrien leaned in the door behind her. Mari turned quickly, almost knocking a lamp off of his end table with her purse. The blond chuckled at his friend’s clumsiness.

“The magic?” Marinette cocked an eyebrow at him. Adrien hadn’t had a girlfriend— well— ever. Or at least since she knew him. And he definitely seemed too busy to be toting around random girls just for the hell of it.

He sauntered into the room and sat on the edge of his bed, as if inviting her to join him, “Sleep is the best magic there is, Marinette.” He gave her a sly grin, and honestly resembled a certain, leather-clad, cat she knew. He definitely intrigued her sometimes with the peculiar similarities between them, and even Alya had tried to convince Mari for a good month in school that he might be Chat Noir. But Marinette knew Chat so well, of course she couldn’t tell her friend that, but there were too many differences. Not that Chat wasn’t handsome and he had his soft, sweet, moments, occasionally, but he was normally too brash to be her Adrien.

Marinette sat on Adrien’s bed with him and leaned back on her hands, feeling the plush nature of the memory foam mattress beneath her. She suddenly couldn’t keep her mind from her ex partner. She hadn’t seen him since they defeated Hawkmoth and frankly missed him a great deal. His puns and antics could be tiring at times, but he was so genuinely himself. And if she had to be honest, she missed his puns. More than that though, she missed his toothy grin, the way they synchronized in the heat of a battle, and the late night talks they had when a patrol ended and neither wanted to be alone. She hadn’t given herself much time to think about him until he finally slipped in at the faintest recollection of his mischievous smirk.

Her face must have shown her emotions as she felt green eyes study her features, “Is everything okay, Mari?” He placed his hand on her arm, a gentle reminder he was there.

She quickly covered, “Do you— ever wonder where Chat Noir, and Ladybug,” she added as an after thought, “went after defeating— well…” her cheeks suddenly burned realizing she was about to remind Adrien of his father, and his evil alter ego.

He tilted his head a little, processing what she said, the corners of his lips turned up minutely, “Yeah. I do think about it sometimes. It’s insane to think that they just sorta disappeared after being such a big part of our lives as Parisians. But I assume they just faded back into civilian life, probably easy to do since they kept their identities a secret.” He looked at his laugh and chuckled softly. “Ya know, I used to have the BIGGEST crush on Ladybug.”

Marinette’s cheeks flared again, “Oh… Uh, really?” She tucked her bobbed hair behind her ears frantically, refusing to make eye contact with him for a second or two.

Not that Adrien noticed as he continued, “I was so crazy for her, and for a long time. She was just so courageous, she always saved the day and made things right, but she was never a show-off.” His face fell into a soft, endearing smile, “And those blue, _blue_ , eyes. Oh yeah, I had it so bad for her.” He covered his face with one of his hands, probably hiding a blush.

“You said that all in past tense though, what happened?” Marinette could barely make words come out of her mouth, but she needed to know everything about the boy of her dreams having fallen for her other identity.

“Well,” He reached up and put his hand on her cheek, looking at her gently, “I think I fell for—“

**BOOM!**

“Mr. Agreste!” The moment was thwarted immediately by a sweaty mover coming. Adrien dropped his hand like he’d been shot and directed his attention to the man hunched over in the doorway. The man pointed out the door, out of breath, gesturing towards something.

“Oh god. I better go deal with this.” Adrien shuffled out of the room, leaving Marinette to catch her own breath.

_What was he about to say?!_

——————————————————————

_Well, I think I fell for a different girl with big blue eyes._ The rest of the sentence fizzled out on Adrien’s tongue as he went to address the box of shattered glasses on his floor. Thankfully, none of them were anything special. Mainly just cups Nathalie had packed for him out of the dining set from the Agreste mansion. He could very easily replace them…

But he could not easily replace the moment he was, _hopefully_ , about to have had with Marinette.

He wanted to throw the box of shattered glass at the movers who ruined it. He felt like he could have easily kissed her then, she was sitting so close and he hoped she had felt the electricity that he felt. He aggressively swept up the mess and handed the box off to another mover to throw out.

Even if his chance with Marinette had been foiled for the moment, at least his apartment was coming together really well, and for that, he had to be thankful to the movers. He could have done this by himself, but it would have taken him a week to get everything situated, at least. And of course they hadn’t put everything where he’d want it to be, but he also didn’t have boxes scattered everywhere in a disarray.

He felt a gentle hand on his back, and this time it was her turn to ask, “Is everything okay?” He turned around and took her hand in his, brushing his thumb over her knuckles as he looked around the room and assessed his new home.

“Everything should be alright.” Adrien sighed, “I’m just down a box of cups, but thats nothing I can’t buy.” He smiled at her, a warm smile that he hoped made up for the loss of intimacy between them.

Marinette smiled back at him and grasped his hand, “Hey! Do you think you can get out of here for a minute?” Her eyes were excited, making him feel those butterflies again.

“What did you have in mind?”


	6. Ice Cream and Wine

It had started to drizzle heavy raindrops, pooling cool water on the city streets, as Marinette and Adrien were walking towards Davey’s Ice Cream. The exterior was a grassy teal and had multi-color writing on the front. It was a small little shop, all-white ceiling tiles, with a wooden bar, and the sweet smell of frozen cream permeating the air. Marinette’s attention scattered between giant jars of sprinkles, chocolate candies, and gummy worms. Adrien was mainly focused on the petite bluenette at his side. Her already huge eyes, doubled in excitement at all of the sweets in front of her.

 

“Any idea what you might like?” He smirked at her childlike wonder. There weren’t many other patrons in the store, just the two of them and an older couple sitting at a small table towards the front. By the time they’d made it there from Adrien’s place, it was already dinner time and the rain wasn’t showing signs of letting up.

 

“Hmm... I think I’m feeling pistachio. Maybe with chocolate sprinkles. And a cherry on top.” Her sky-blue eyes scanned the ice cream bar, examining the flavors and what combo she could design like a delicious outfit. “What about you?” She finally looked up at the blond, seeing the endearing smile he’d been giving her this whole time.

 

“A scoop of raspberry chocolate chunk, and a scoop of cookies and cream.” She started to giggle, “Yeah, I know. Just like always.” He bopped her nose with his long pointer finger. She crinkled her features in a new fit of soft laughter.

 

 _I love you._ Was all Adrien could think.

 

“Was this the ice cream shop you’d wanted to take me to?” He asked, instead.

 

“Yeah! It’s a good few blocks from my place. I saw it when I was moving into town. It just reminded me of you the moment I saw it. The green exterior matches your eyes. And we always get ice cream together.” She bubbled happily, totally unaware of the meek blush that dusted Adrien’s tanned cheeks.

 

“I can definitely see us coming here a lot.” He said, mainly for himself, basking in the presence of his angel, and knowing that they’ll be seeing each other all the time in their new city.

 

“I’m gonna order this time! And I’ll pay, since you have to buy new cups.” Marinette touched his arm, she knew full well that he could afford both, but he let her go ahead anyways, he did pay for breakfast. He went ahead and found a small couch at the front of the store. It sat in front of the windows and peered out onto the sidewalks, covered in puddles and gleaming with streetlights in the dim evening glow. Adrien felt so unbelievably happy for the first time since his father was apprehended. He’d been working himself to the bone, for the most part, trying to keep the company going, knowing the livelihood’s of thousands of employees rested on him and his capabilities to manage business deals and major moves in the marketing. He was so grateful for Nathalie and the few days she’d managed to get free for him to move into his new place. He knew full well that he’d have hell awaiting him in his office on Monday, but he didn’t mind. The rest of his week and weekend belonged to his new home and trying to keep that adorable smile on Marinette’s face. _Her beautiful face._ He felt his heart beat hard in his chest. How did he possibly not see how wonderful she was in high school? He’d been around her so much, seen her spunk in standing up to Chloé, been given her softest smiles and the warmth of her family’s home multiple times, he’d witnessed the energetic nature of her when she was joking with Alya. And yet, his naive teen brain couldn’t see past his partner-in-fighting-crime. Marinette was just like her, honestly. They were both so brave and generous, and they somehow shared this undeniable sense of justice and the cutest, stubbornness in setting things right. He was so in love with his partner, yet didn’t see that Marinette was right in front of him the whole time, and she did all of these things without a mask. _And now he was so in love with his new partner_.

 

“Here’s your ice cream, Mr. Agreste.” Marinette set the bowl down on the coffee table in front of him, breaking him out of his daze. It occurred to him what she’d called him and it set a small blaze in his stomach. He’d had plenty of people call him that before, but Marinette said it differently. Like a wife calling out her new husband on being a dork, and he so badly wanted to call her Mrs. Agreste.

 

“Thank you, mon Chou,” the nickname fit her well, for as long as he couldn’t call her princess. It meant my sweet, or my honey. An appropriate nickname in many senses for the baker’s daughter.

 

She blushed a little bit, and he felt pride at flustering her for the first time in a while. She’d gotten so comfortable around him, which he loved after she’d been somewhat distant with him in high school, but one of the the things he first loved about her was the blush she got when he’d compliment her in their newborn friendship.

 

She started digging into her ice cream to try to hide her tiny flush. Adrien picked up his own cup and began eating as well, mixing the two flavors like he normally did. He caught Marinette watching his actions out of the corner of his eye, her smile radiant, definitely cataloging him mixing his ice cream for the hundredth time she’d seen it. He decided not to acknowledge her, just appreciating the way she memorized his movements and preferences and always kept them in mind. She was thoughtful like that.

 

“So what do you think? On a scale of Petit Glacier to André’s?” He glanced over at her, more obviously this time. She licked a little bit of pistachio off her lips, getting ready to speak.

 

“Hmmm, I want to say it’s just as good as André, but who can really be as good as the sweetheart’s ice cream man?” She laughed, knowing that it was practically blasphemy to say anything less of the famous ice cream man. Adrien chuckled as well. “Mm, there was a small china store next door, did you want to stop in there to pick up some glasses?” She shoveled another scoop of ice cream into her mouth.

 

“Sounds good. I’ll get us an Uber back to my place afterwards then, don’t want to really bring a box of glasses onto the subway.” His apartment was not close to Marinette’s by walking distance, but he knew Chat Noir would visit her when he did his nightly patrols. He knew everyone was safe from Hawkmoth, but it just helped put him at ease to check up on the city before bed. When he still lived in Paris, Adrien had a route every night to see Alya, Nino, Chloé, and then finally Marinette’s parents. He missed seeing the designer at her desk late every night, strict concentration on her face with every stitch.

 

They finished up their ice cream spoils and headed out in the rain to the china shop next door. A tiny woman greeted them, he thought it was adorable how similar in stature she was to Master Fu. She had dark, salt and pepper hair curled around her face and framing her wire thin glasses. Her smile was kind when she greeted the young couple. Calling them as such. Adrien just grinned.

 

“So you’re out looking for some glasses? You came to the right place, young man. I have all sorts.” She lead them to a wall lined with shelves and boxes of shiny glass cups and trinkets. Adrien immediately noticed a collection that reminded him of a set of glasses his mother had brought back from a trip she and his father had taken when he was young. They were a clear shade of jade glass and had sharp angles within the glass that refracted light and caught the eye. The small lady noticed his gaze and interjected, “You have a good eye. Those are vintage from an old glass blower in Boston. Lovely shade of green, just like your eyes. Don’t you think, young lady?” She turned her kindly, crinkled eyes on Marinette.

 

She nodded, “Like emeralds.” Her smile shy, causing Adrien’s heart to flutter.

 

The old woman grabbed him by the arm and smiled up at him, “What a pretty girl. You’re a lucky guy.” She winked and chuckled, removing her hand and going to grab the box of glasses. Adrien stepped forward.

 

“Oh! Let me. I got it.” He took the box from the high shelf, wondering how the petite woman thought she was going to get it down. She just chuckled good-naturedly and hobbled back toward the front of the store.

 

He was heading that way when Marinette grabbed his arm, “Adrien! Look!” She was pointing at a shelf opposite them, close to the ground. His eyes searched for a moment before realizing what she’d seen.

 

Sitting dusty on a shelf, an ancient looking vase, it reminded Adrien of the old Chinese decor his father had in a box from his many trips there, over the years. However this was _very_ different. It had the usual pale cream color, and light green embellishments, but there was a tiny ladybug depicted, floating along a patch of flowers. And there behind her, a black cat, eyes as green as grass, prancing after her. Both of them stared at this vase, each knowing it was meant for them, but neither knowing the other felt the same way. The tall blond suddenly felt a kick in his chest pocket and knew he had to get this vase. He didn’t know what it was, even if it was just a historical recollection of previous Ladybugs and Chat Noirs, he felt drawn to it.

 

He crouched down and carefully took it from the shelf. Blowing dust off of it as he examined the ladybug and cat more closely. _Boy, did he relate to that poor Tom cat. Always chasing his lady._

 

But not anymore. He smiled at the vase, tucking it under his arm, “Come on! Let’s get it. A nice reminder of home and the saviors of Paris.” He smiled at Marinette, remembering the conversation they’d had earlier that day about the whereabouts of the heroes that seemingly vanished. He didn’t know where his lady had gone, but he had a new lady right here, and he was the luckiest black cat in the world to have Marinette with him, his Choupinette.

 

The two headed to the cash register where the elder woman had already packaged the glasses. She spotted the vase under Adrien’s arm, almost immediately, shock on her face briefly, like a flicker in candlelight, before changing to the same knowing smile she’d had before.

 

“We’ll take this vase as well,” Adrien set in on the counter and she gently rubbed the glass with her wrinkled hands.

 

“You do have a very good eye. This vase has been in my shop for over sixty years. My father brought it here when it was his shop, and I was just a student. I’m glad to see a beautiful piece, so rich in history, going to a young couple like you.” She smiled fondly at them as she wrapped it in newspaper and placed it in the same bag as the glasses. Neither Marinette, nor Adrien had it in their hearts to tell her they weren’t a couple. She just seemed so happy to see the vase go to them. They took their bags in hand and bid goodbye to the woman. “You two come back for your wedding glasses! Okay?” She called after them, earning a giggle from Marinette and blushed cheeks on Adrien.

 

——————————————————————

 

 

The ride back to Adrien’s was uneventful, Marinette and he made casual conversation in the back of their Uber and he put his arm around her when she said she was feeling cold from the rain, handing over his cardigan to put over her, as well.

 

They put his new glasses away in his cabinets, Adrien pulled a bottle of wine out of his fridge. “It’s not cold quite yet, but I brought it from home. He offered it to her with a twinkle in his eye.

 

“You know we have to be twenty-one to drink here, right?” She gave him a mischievous grin. Marinette still walked over to him and took a glass for herself.

 

“Oh man, I guess we have to get rid of this contraband somehow...” he playfully held his wine glass, as if lost for a way to get rid of the drink.

 

“We’ll have to have some, then. No other way around it.” Marinette giggled and poked him in the cheek. Adrien poured them each half a glass and they sat on his warm leather couch, facing the fireplace.

 

“Hey! So what were you going to tell me earlier?” Marinette took a long sip of her wine before asking him. She gave him a questioning eyebrow raise.

 

He held his glass still and looked at her, the firelight twinkling on her sapphire eyes, “Be more specific.”

 

“When we were talking about Chat Noir and Ladybug, you had said you were in love with her but then something happened.” She smiled warmly at him, her cheeks pink. He wasn’t sure if it was from the warmth of the fire, her drink, or if she normally looked this blushed under dim lighting.

 

“Oh, well,” He swirled the dark purple liquid in his cup before taking a sip. “There’s another girl now.” He looked at her, carefully gauging her reaction.

 

She didn’t understand it, but Marinette’s heart sank. It’d been a while since she’d thought of Adrien as a crush, but she didn’t realize there were other women in his life that meant as much to him as her. She imagined this woman in her head, she was probably tall, slender figured, long dark hair and matching dark features. She was probably mysterious and maybe even a model.

 

Adrien noticed the silence that fell over her. He wasn’t sure if it was disappointment or possibly even jealousy. “She’s really kind, and talented, has the biggest blue eyes...” he tried to hint to her.

 

Marinette couldn’t shake the idea of the model woman. She barely heard what Adrien said, but tried to perk up as to not worry him. “She sounds lovely.” She settled on.

 

Adrien resisted chuckling. _How could she be so naive and so cute?_ He wanted to tell her, he wanted to scream that he loved her. But it didn’t seem like the right time. “What about you?” He decided to press his luck instead. “Did you like anyone in high school?” He took the last sip of his wine and set his glass down.

 

Marinette choked on her drink, quickly downing it with another one. “Oh, me? I didn’t really like anyone...” she tried to brush it off, but her nerves betrayed her. She averted her eyes.

 

Adrien took her hand in his, “You can trust me, Marinette. You’re my best friend.” He smiled at her.

 

She felt her heart seize. _It’s you. It was always you, Adrien._ She bit her lip. _But what about the new girl he likes? He might not be comfortable around Mari if there’s another girl he likes and she dumps on him that she was totally, and could still be, in love with him._

 

“Ummm,” she scratched her head, suddenly remembering who Adrien liked, realizing she had an out. “Chat Noir. I really liked Chat Noir.”

 

—————————————————

 

Adrien had to keep from falling over right then and there. He put his hand to his chest, relatively certain if he didn’t, Marinette would see Plagg doubled over laughing in his shirt.

 

_She liked Chat. She liked ME. Well, sorta me._

 

“Oh wow. Chat Noir? Did you know him very well?” Adrien feigned surprise.

 

Marinette blushed, unaware until just then that she did sorta have feelings for her partner. It hit her like a train when she said it out loud. If she didn’t like Adrien, she probably would have been really head over heels for Chat. He was cute, funny, and she had to admit that she always liked his puns. It was endearing how he always flirted with Ladybug, and she knew he didn’t flirt with anyone else. Even her civilian identity.

 

“He visited me a lot, we hung out on my balcony.” She tucked her hair behind her ear, realizing the truth was giving her butterflies. “He even fell asleep at my place sometimes.” Her cheeks flushed, certainly going to her ears.

 

“Oh. W-what did you like about him?” Adrien found himself compelled to hear what this perfect girl saw in his other self.

 

“I think we’re gonna need more wine.” Marinette giggled nervously. Adrien chuckled as he poured more in each of their cups and she took a sip. “He was just, real. He was always making these jokes, even if there was an akuma, and it lightened the mood. I hate to admit it, but he made these adorable puns.” Adrien blushed, _hard._ “He saved me, multiple times. And I mean, what can I say, he’s always been handsome. Any girl could see that with the rustled golden hair and,” she caught herself rambling, looking suddenly at Adrien who was caught on her every word, “Th-those brilliant green eyes.”

 

Adrien practically choked on his wine. He felt himself fall even more in love with her, knowing she felt so strongly about his other half. He always noticed her standing up for Chat if someone said anything negative about him. Something she’d never do if anyone criticized Ladybug. Of course, everyone else would stand up for his lady, but normally it was just Marinette there for him. He did visit her frequently in the cat suit, and he did flirt a little, he called her Princess all the time. He supposed they did have their moments, times when there could have easily been romance if he had realized how wonderful she was sooner. She made him gifts, gave him sweets and cocoa, but she treated him similarly as Adrien, how was he supposed to realize that she had a thing for Chat Noir?

 

“Yeah, well, it was sorta one-sided anyways. He was super into Ladybug.” Marinette spoke without thinking.

 

“I totally understand you there. I did like Ladybug, after all.” Adrien smiled at her, and she just started laughing. She didn’t even know why, if it was just the irony of the situation or what, but she couldn’t help herself. Adrien found himself laughing along with her, leaning in towards her, gravitating to the glow of her.

 

Internally, Marinette was in stitches. She liked Adrien, she always liked Adrien. And here he was, right in front of her. She knew he liked her, even if it was just her as Ladybug. But here she was, lying about being into Chat Noir, and realizing it could have been true. How different her life would have been if she’d liked Chat instead of Adrien this whole time. She could have had him anytime she wanted as Ladybug. He promised he’d love whoever was behind the mask, too. Especially if Adrien was in love with a different girl... that silenced her inner monologue.

 

_Good god, Marinette, you’re in deep._

 

_—————————————_

 

 

Marinette walked in the front door to her apartment and immediately let Tikki out of her purse. The little god flew around the apartment to stretch before coming back to her chosen. Mari threw her purse to the ground and plopped down on the couch. Face buried into a pillow.

 

“What’s wrong? Didn’t you have a fun day, Marinette?” She could feel a tiny paw on her shoulder, an attempt to comfort her.

 

“Nothing is really wrong, Tikki. It’s just that I found out a lot of things tonight. Like, did you know that I might have feelings for Chat Noir?” Marinette sat abruptly and threw her arms down to her side.

 

Tikki laughed, “Of course I did. You two have been partners for a long time and the only thing keeping you from admitting that you liked him was your crush on Adrien.”

 

“And what about Adrien being into Ladybug? How did I never know that? Did you know that?”

 

Tikki paused, _of course, Adrien is Chat Noir and Chat was in love with Ladybug._ But she couldn’t tell Marinette that. “He never told Ladybug he liked her, so it wasn’t very obvious.”

 

“Exactly! I could have been so happy in high school if I knew that.” She let her head fall back against the wall.

 

“What would you have done? You couldn’t have dated him as Ladybug. Either it would get too hard for both of you or he’d want to find out who you are! And you definitely couldn’t have just told him that you’re Ladybug either! That would have been dangerous, for both of you.” Tikki went in to hug her chosen’s cheek. “It’s not good to live in the past, Marinette.”

 

Mari reached a hand up to stroke the god of wisdom’s little head. “You’re right. Things are really great right now. I have a lovely home and I’m best friends with the best guy in the whole world, and....” she had just picked her head up before it fell backward again and her arms shot into the air, “And he’s in love with some girl!” She smacked her hands to her face, making Tikki wince.

 

“Do you like him like that still?”

 

“That’s a great question.” She mumbled into her hands. “Even if I do, do I even have a shot? I bet this girl is like a model and probably super gorgeous.”

 

Tikki openly rolled her big, bug eyes. Marinette trying to smother herself with her own hands. _And I thought she was difficult when she was fourteen._ “If you like him, you should tell him, Marinette. You just were saying he should have told Ladybug he liked her!”

 

“But that’s different. Ladybug liked Adrien. I don’t know that Adrien likes me.” She brought her knees up to her chest, burrowing her face between them. Tikki couldn’t help but groan quietly at her masters inability to notice that she and Adrien had been chasing each other this whole time.

 

“It’ll be okay! Just give it some time, you should figure out if you like him first, before you worry about another girl that you don’t even know.”

 

She slowly lifted her head, “You’re right, Tikki.” Her body relaxed and she got up. “There’s some cake in the kitchen for you, I picked it up at the cafe across the street.”

 

Marinette watched the little bug fly into the other room before she walked out onto her balcony. The world was so confusing and she hadn’t even started her classes yet. But she had to try to remember all the good things happening for her. She kept repeating in her head:

 

_Apartment, Dream School, Adrien, Design Job._

_Apartment, Dream School, Adrien, Design Job._

_Apartment, Dream School, Adrien, Design Job._

 

She leaned against the railing, head in her hands, massaging her temples with her thumbs to try to push the good things into her brain. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying hard to not think of Adrien’s mystery girl. She knew that worries only lead to more worries and so on.

 

Marinette sighed, loudly.

 

“What’s the matter, Princess?”

 

—————————————

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for reading! I'm already writing the next chapter, so expect that sometime soon!


	7. Princess Radar

As soon as Marinette left his place that night, Adrien transformed. He practically ran to his rooftop to head out. He definitely didn’t give Plagg time to relax, he’d been sleeping in his pocket all day. _Hell, he’d been in Adrien’s pocket for what felt like three months._

 

He barely got onto the roof before he withdrew his staff and shot forward. Yelling into the night with the most exhilaration he could handle. The suit filled him with this electric energy, it just made him want to run and it propelled him forward without his brain having to process it.He’d had plenty of fashion shoots and runways for a lifetime, all he craved was the freedom of being Chat Noir and being let out of the cage that was the Agreste name for a while. He could never get enough of this rushing adrenaline. The only other thing that made his heart pound like this was Marinette.

 

He knew he blended in with the night in his black suit, it wouldn’t betray him to the people below, going about their nightly routines and commutes. He was totally free.

 

Chat Noir shot off roof tops until he found himself looking down Time Square. _How cliché_ , he thought. This was supposed to be the big tourist attraction to this city and he hated to admit it, but he was drawn to the way the street shined brightly in the night. He glanced at tourists, still shoving their way through foot traffic, and people working as street entertainers. A guy in a red and blue Spider-Man suit caught his attention, making Adrien laugh. _I could walk down there and attract myself no attention._

 

The thought was drawn away when he noticed the second biggest attraction, The Empire State Building. It was genuinely impressive in stature, and it took him multiple leaps to reach the top. It was easily taller than his Eiffel Tower. And the view from the top was twenty times more astonishing. The glow of this city was more neon. Everything was alight with greens and blues and all sorts of unnatural hues. Paris was warm and romantic, but New York matched the electricity he felt as Chat Noir.

 

This was amazing. This huge city that he’d only ever seen from the ground before. It was so vibrant and colorful. He felt like he could do practically anything. So he jumped.

 

The feeling of falling from such a great height only added to his energy. The cool breeze from the rain earlier tangled his messy golden hair and fought against the heat of the magic, leather suit. Chat Noir yelled into the air again before catching himself, probably about fifty stories down. He shot his staff between two windowsills and slid to a halt with his black boots. Catching his breath for only a second, he shot off again, this time with no destination in mind.

 

One thing he didn’t care for about New York was the similarity of all the buildings. He’d made sure to memorize his apartment building so he could find it later, and he’d definitely got a good look at Marinette’s building, but everything else was lost on him. So he decided he’d go make sure Mari was safe before he headed home. His adrenaline rush was fading anyways.

 

Adrien flew through the sky and propelled toward the general direction he knew Lower Manhattan to be. He soared past Davey’s ice cream and the little china shop. The buildings beginning to look more familiar, then he found it.

 

It caught his breath to see Marinette standing there on her balcony. And it broke his heart to see her posture. She was leaning against her railing, head pressed into her hands, as if trying to hold herself back from sobbing. He knew he probably shouldn’t approach her, _but Marinette likes Chat, right?_ He could cheer her up.

 

Chat leaped forward and silently landed on the railing of the balcony next to hers, stepping forward to land next to her.

 

“What’s the matter, Princess?”

 

Her bobbed hair swung back as she pulled her head back, clearly shocked.

 

“Chat Noir! What are you doing here?” Her eyes were twice their normal size. She crossed her arms over her chest.

 

“Well, you see,” he leapt up to sit on her railing, “I have this special radar and it can sense when my beautiful princess needs me. Long story short, I followed it here, to you.” He used his best, Chat Noir voice, earning a small grin on her face.

 

“Beautiful Princess? Huh.” She seemed to repeat it more to herself than him, chuckling softly.

 

“That’s you. And so I’m here.” He noticed the way her smile barely made it to her cheeks, definitely not a genuine Marinette laugh. “So tell me, how can I be of service, Princess?” He slid off the railing to stand directly in front of her. The suit giving him the kind of bravery he couldn’t manage when his hair wasn’t nearly this tousled.

 

“It’s really nothing.” She brushed her bangs out of her eyes, “I’m just really confused. Do you wanna come in?” She gave him an earnest look and slid her door open, not waiting for his answer before leading the way in. She plopped on her couch, drawing her knees into herself and clutching a pillow in front of her. Still not looking Chat in the eyes.

 

“Tell me, Chat Noir. If you had feelings for someone, do you think you should tell them? Even if you stand a chance of being rejected?”

 

_This is it. She’s going to tell me she likes me... but as Chat. I can’t keep my identity a secret if she tells me that. I can’t betray her trust like that._

 

“Absolutely. If you love someone, they should hear it, Marinette. If they reject you, then you can find someone else to love.” He sat next to her, putting a gloved hand on hers. “But I can’t imagine anyone rejecting you, Princess. You’re, well, purr-fect.” He offered her his cheesiest grin.

 

She laughed lightly, rolling her eyes at his pun. “But what if he likes someone else?” She looked Chat directly in the eyes.

 

Adrien’s heart was beating a million miles a minute in the suit. _Does she mean Ladybug? She’s not even a thought if I can have Marinette, as Chat Noir or as Adrien._

 

“I can’t imagine you falling in love with someone that’s so stupid that they’d love someone else before you.” He kept his eyes on her, his lips pulled in, what he hoped was, an encouraging half-smile.

 

Marinette sighed again. “So say I’ve had feelings for this guy since high school. The first day I saw him, I’ve been head over heels. Okay?” She looked at him and he just nodded his head, unable to form words. She continued, “And I thought I outgrew those old feelings, that maybe I’d try to pursue a more friendly relationship with him. But here he is! Looking like the most handsome man on earth, and treating me like he owes me the world. But I know he likes a different girl.”

 

Adrien could barely speak. _Okay... so does she mean me? Or.... me?_

 

“I think....” he tried to start but was cut off.

 

“And when I think about him with this other girl, I just.” She pantomimed pulling her hair out, “I just can’t shake this worry that she’s somehow better than me. That she’s prettier than me, has her life more together than I do. I didn’t think I felt that way about him, but clearly I’m jealous. Right?” She was practically ranting to herself at this point. Chat just sat there, not really sure who she was talking about anymore. He could see her talking about him if she saw Ladybug as a threat to their relationship. But he didn’t even know the last time he saw her and he knew Marinette was wondering about her whereabouts as well.

 

He just put his hands on her shoulders, trying to calm her blue-black hair into its usual shape. “First thing, if you’ve had it this bad for this guy since you met him, I think you still have feelings for him. And you just showed me that you do, especially if you’re this worried about some other girl. And secondly, his other lady isn’t NEARLY as wonderful as you are. I don’t care who she is, she’s nothing compared to my Princess.” She just looked into his emerald eyes, biting her lip as if she were ashamed of herself. “I promise you, Marinette. Tell him how you feel. Things will be great.”

 

She finally relaxed. He noticed her shoulders slump forward and she put her head on his chest. It took him a second, but he wrapped her up in his arms. He definitely didn’t imagine having this conversation with her tonight, especially after the day they had together. She pulled her arms around him and they just sat like that for a while. Adrien noticed how much she still carried that bakery scent on her. Like a sweetness just emanated from her, more like honey than baking bread though.

 

“Thank you, Chat Noir. I know what to do now.” She pulled out of the hug and he was pleased to see a genuine smile grace her lips.

 

“Anything for you.” He returned her gentle, kind smile, eyes still softly locked with hers.

 

She took a deep breath and moved her arms to around his neck, moving forward to quickly kiss his cheek. “It really means a lot to me.” She corrected herself, “You mean a lot to me. Thank you for being yourself, and having your Princess radar. My night would have been un-fur-tunate without you, Kitty.” She grinned sheepishly, a blush covering her cheeks and her eyes averted.

 

His mouth must have been agape. Marinette kissed him. And on top of that... He’d never heard her make a cat pun before. Suddenly he had all the fuel he needed to run across rooftops to get home that night.

 

————————

 

Adrien fell back on his bed, finally releasing his transformation. He let his arms and legs fall spread out.

 

“Can you believe it, Plagg?” He just stared at the ceiling.

 

“What? That you were out all day and didn’t get me any cheese? No. I can’t believe that.” He crossed his tiny arms bitterly.

 

“No! That Marinette kissed me. I mean, she’s kissed my cheek before, but I always thought that was a friend thing. This was different. It was private, intimate. What if she still has feelings for Chat Noir?” Adrien was clearly dumbstruck. Just grinning at his ceiling in the dark.

 

“She’s bound to have feelings for one of you. You’re like the only two boys she has contact with.” Plagg laughed at his own joke. “But seriously kid, I want some cheese. Also, I need to look at that vase you bought earlier.”

 

Adrien suddenly sat up, he completely forgot about the vase. He strode out to his living room where he found the artifact still wrapped in newspaper. He unwrapped it and dusted it off with a blanket from his nearby couch. “Do you recognize this, Plagg?”

 

He held the vase out for the tiny cat god to look it over. He examined every detail, even going so far as to look inside the vase.

 

“I’m not sure. It looks really familiar, and it’s definitely a reference to the Miraculous, but I’d need Tikki or Master Fu to confirm it’s meaning. I’ve always been foggy on remembering things like that, they say it’s a side effect of never really paying attention to other people. Tragic, really.” He flew over to the kitchen and through the fridge door, snagging a piece of Camembert before flying back out.

 

“Tikki?” Adrien gave him a quizzical look, “That’s Ladybug’s Kwami, right?”

 

Plagg swallowed the cheese in one bite, seemingly not even chewing. “Yeah. She’s a lot more— responsible than me. God of wisdom, and all that.” He waved his tiny black hand, as if shaking off all the wisdom he didn’t have.

 

“But that won’t do. You can’t really ask her if she’s in Paris.” Adrien sat down on his couch, still in thought. “But maybe I can call Master?”

 

Plagg looked like he was barely paying attention again, “Yeah. That’ll probably work. Did you happen to see any fromageries when you were out today?”

 

Adrien just rolled his eyes. _Same old, Plagg._ “No, but I can order you some cheese if you’re running low.”

 

———————————

 

Somewhere in New York, a man sat in front of his computer. No other lights illuminating his masked features, just the blue glow of the screen.

 

“So they’re both here. What a wonderful surprise! Having my two most powerful prey, fall into my nest like this.” He was watching grainy video on his desktop, two clips of security camera footage on loop.

 

The left side showed a red clad hero swinging between buildings, the right, a black cat jumping across roofs.

 

“It looks like it’s time for this vulture to take flight.” Erratic laughter erupted out of him, making the air feel thick like oil.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look forward for another chapter coming soon! 
> 
> Bec ♡


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